The Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights adopted a proposal to study the extent to which disparities exist in the access to and quality of pediatric healthcare for families who identify as members of a racial and/or ethnic minority in Arizona. This report is intended to focus on civil rights concerns related to access to and quality of pediatric healthcare for Arizona families who identify as members of a racial and/or ethnic minority. As part of this inquiry, the Committee heard testimony via videoconference on June 14, 2023; September 29, 2023; February 2, 2024; and March 26, 2024. This report also includes written testimony submitted within the Committee’s project timeline.
The following report results from a review of testimony at these meetings along with written testimony submitted to the Committee. It begins with a brief background of the issues considered by the Committee, followed by themes and findings as they emerged from this testimony. Finally, it makes recommendations for addressing related civil rights concerns. While other important topics may have surfaced during the Committee’s inquiry, matters that are outside the scope of this specific civil rights mandate may be mentioned but are left for another discussion. This report and the recommendations included within it were adopted by a majority of Committee members present at a meeting on November 18, 2024.